School board to consider making Pledge optional for city students

MIDDLETOWN -- The Board of Education will be considering a policy that gives students the option whether to say the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of school.

AMY L. ZITKA

Published 12:00 am, Thursday, September 19, 2002

By state mandate, school boards statewide must put language into their policies by Oct. 1 relating to the availability of the Pledge of Allegiance. The board's policy committee reviewed the matter Wednesday, and it will be voted on Tuesday by the school board.

"Each school within the district shall provide time each school day for students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance," the proposal reads. "Such recitation is voluntary. If, because of some personal philosophy or belief, a student has made the personal decision not to recite the Pledge, he/she may choose to remain seated or silent."

Reciting the pledge will be the student's decision to make, School Supt. Carol Parmelee-Blancato said."Those students who have made the personal decision not to recite the Pledge may be excused from participating," the proposed policy states.

The Pledge of Allegiance has been recited during the morning exercises in the kindergarten through eighth grades, she said. It will be open to the high school students, with the new policy, the superintendent said.

"All K through 12 (students) will have the option to sit during the recitation of the pledge," school board member Barbara Weiss said.

"In any event, all students must be courteous and respectful of the beliefs of others," the proposed policy states.

Currently, rather than having the Pledge of Allegiance at the high school, there is a moment of silence, Weiss said.

With the proposed policy, the school district will have the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence done at daily morning exercises, officials said.

The state-mandated amendment will be part of the district policy relating to ceremonies and observances. With a state-mandated change, district policies require only one reading before approval, Weiss said.